BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Since his arrival, Samford head coach Scott Padgett has consistently stockpiled talent for his up-and-coming Bulldogs' basketball team and this season's signing class proved to be no different. Samford's 2017 group is one of the highest touted in school history and consists of Brandon Austin, Ruben Guerrero, Stefan Lakic, JT Mumber, Kevion Nolan and Luke Touliatos, it was officially announced Friday.
 
"Each of these guys will bring some unique talent to the team," said Padgett. "They are also going to be filling some major needs for us, so this is a very important group. We're all extremely excited for this upcoming season and we can't wait to continue working with these players and getting them better as the year goes on."
 

Brandon Austin will join Samford's roster this summer, but won't be able to compete until the 2018-19 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules. Austin comes to Samford from the University of Alabama where he spent two seasons playing for the Crimson Tide.
 
Last year, Austin earned playing time in six games at Alabama and averaged 7.3 minutes of action per outing. As a true freshman in 2015-16, he saw action in 30 games and averaged 8.9 minutes per contest. Austin averaged 1.5 points per game and finished 2-of-2 from the field for five points against Ole Miss while matching season highs in assists, steals and blocks.
 
In high school, Austin starred at Carver-Montgomery High School under head coach J.J. Jackson and was named the 6A state-tournament MVP and led his team to the 2015 state championship. Additionally, he was selected to the 2015 Alabama Boys All-Star Basketball Team and named as a 6A First Team All-State honoree by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
 
Austin was nominated to play in the McDonald's All-American Game and was ranked No. 2 in the state of Alabama by MaxPreps and No. 5 by 247Sports. He also earned an invite to Nike's Elite 100 came, while averaging 18 points per game as a senior including a game-high, 16-point performance in the Alabama-Mississippi Classic.
 
"Brandon is probably going to be the most athletic player that we've had since I've been here," said Padgett. "He's 6-foot-5, but can easily put his head up by the rim. He also has the ability to be our first legitimate lock-down wing defender. If the other team has a good No. 2 or No. 3 guy, you can put him on an island out there with him and Brandon will guard them, for sure. He's also a very good shooter and will be great in transition.
 
"This year, he'll be sitting out after transferring, but it can be a great opportunity for him to work on his game and to get even better. It will also help him to get acclimated to Samford and to our style of play, which will be huge."
 

At 7-feet tall, Ruben Guerrero will be a huge addition to Samford's squad on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He is transferring from USF and will be eligible to play with the Bulldogs in the 2018-19 season.
 
Guerrero, last year at USF, earned playing time in all 30 of the Bulls' games. He also started in 25 contests and averaged 5.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per outings. Guerrero led USF in blocked shots and finished second on the team in rebounding.
 
Following his sophomore season, he proved to be the recipient of the American Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Award and was also a NCAA DI Male Sportsmanship Award winner. Guerrero played in 32 of 33 games, while starting 19. He averaged 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds and finished the season ranked eighth in the conference with 1.3 blocks per game.
 
Before signing with USF, Guerrero, a native of Marbella, Spain, was a three-star recruit by Scout.com, as well as a member of the 18U Spanish national team. He was also ranked No. 33 on DraftExpress.com's International '95 list and averaged 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in 2013-14 at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas. Guerrero helped the Buffaloes finish with a national ranking of 14 by USA Today and a 19-7 record while playing a national schedule.
 
"Ruben has played at a very high level throughout his career," Padgett said. "Through three seasons at USF, he left as the school's sixth all-time, shot-blocker. He played in the American Conference, which is one of the toughest leagues in the nation with UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis and SMU, so he has a lot of experience playing in a very good league.
 
"Ruben brings something to the table that I don't think we've ever had here at Samford. He's going to be that guy that can really command a presence in the paint on the defensive end. He can alter shots, he can definitely block shots and he can rebound the ball and start the break. What's also great about him is that even though he's a 7-footer, he can really run and really possesses some good athleticism. This year off will be great for him to learn our system."
 

Stefan Lakic, a highly-skilled, 6-foot-7 forward from Visegrad, Bosnia, signed with Samford from Missouri State-West Plains Junior College where he spent last season competing for the Grizzlies. Lakic started in 27 games and averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. He also shot 49 percent from the field and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line.
 
Prior to last year's stellar performance at MSU-West Plains, Lakic spent his freshman season at Odessa Community College where he earned playing time in 12 games. Lakic turned in a brilliant 56-percent shooting mark from the field and didn't miss a single free throw on the year.
 
"Straight out of high school, Stefan had a number of opportunities to play professionally over in Europe, but he decided to come over here to the U.S., to play in college," Padgett said. "He's a 4.0 student and extremely smart, especially on the basketball court. He's the epitome of a European No. 4-No. 3 position player who's 6-foot-7, strong and can shoot the ball, handle the ball and pass the ball with ease.
 
"Stefan really knows how to play and is the textbook European No. 4 man, who is skilled and can beat you in a lot of different ways. He'll definitely add a lot of versatility to the team."
 

JT Mumber will also join the Bulldogs this season after starring at Darlington High School in Rome, Georgia. A talented 6-foot-7 forward, Mumber proved to be one of the best post players in Northwest Georgia. He was recently honored as January's Player of the Month.
 
"JT reminds me a lot of Alex Peters," Padgett said. "He's probably a little more polished offensively, but not quite as tall, but he definitely plays with that same intensity and rebounds the ball extremely well. He's been great this summer in learning our system and he picks things up very quickly. For a freshman, he does a really good job of listening, learning and taking coaching.
 
"JT understands his role and does a fantastic job of battling for a rebound and kicking it out to our guards in transition. He definitely has a huge upside and once he gets in the weight room and works out with the team even more, the potential is just going to grow even further. He will play a big role for this team and with his hard work and effort, he's going to make it easy for me to give him some playing time."
 

Kevion Nolan comes to Samford as a highly-touted true freshman from Anniston, Alabama's Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School. The Bulldogs' first commit of the year, Nolan has been an integral part of Samford's signing class since Sept. 2, 2016.
 
At 6-foot-2, Nolan has proven to be a sharpshooter in the high school ranks and will continue to be a key scorer at the college level. He was ranked as a three-star recruit from ESPN.com and was listed as the sixth best player in Alabama. Nolan can also play the point guard position in college and adds great flexibility to the Bulldogs' backcourt for the future.
 
Last season, Nolan led Sacred Heart to a perfect 10-0 record in region play, as well as a remarkable 28-8 overall mark. As one of the top players in the state, he averaged 19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest. Nolan connected on six 3-point baskets and accumulated 30 points in a matchup against Pebblebrook High School on Nov. 12.
 
Widely regarded as one of the best shooters in the Southeast, Nolan quickly became Padgett's top target for the 2017 recruiting cycle. His ball-handling and high IQ will also aid Samford on the perimeter.
 
"Kevion has been a part of winning for a long time," said Padgett. "He has been on three state championship teams at Sacred Heart Academy and also won a national title with his AAU team, the Alabama Challenge. He comes in with a winning pedigree and goes about his business. He works hard every day, he doesn't complain about anything and he just goes to work.
 
"Kevion is a big-time shooter and has really long arms, so I think he's also going to be a great defender for us as well. I expect him to be a key four-year player, especially because he has the ability to play multiple positions. He also does a great job in the classroom, he's very respectful and is a solid guy as well as being a special player."
 

Luke Touliatos, a seasoned 6-foot-4 forward from nearby Homewood High School, will join Samford this year as a preferred walk-on. He led the Patriots to a state title during his tenure at HHS and has proven to be a key factor in every facet of his game.
 
During the 2016 state championship run, Touliatos scored 31 points en route to a 64-51 victory over Huffman High School. Following the game, Touliatos was tabbed as the "Fast-Break Forward" after his head-turning performance included a mixture of 3-pointers, layups and of course, his great spin move.
 
Touliatos continued to garner attention at the Birmingham Main Event in May. The sharp-shooting wing knocked down a number of 3-point shots and was able to space the defense and create driving lanes for his teammates. He excels at moving without the ball to get open shots and is a good passer as well.
 
"Luke played with my son Logan at Homewood High School over the last few years, so I really got to see a lot of him over the years," said Padgett. "I think Luke is one of those players that quite honestly might have fallen through the cracks. He's a great player and right now we're bringing him on as a preferred walk-on, but I think he really has a chance to help this program out down the line. He can definitely get in games, get in the rotation and have a chance to play.
 
"Luke has great speed and he's really long. He also has an uncanny knack for reading passing lanes, so he's really good at getting steals and starting the break. He's also a very good shooter and has a scorer's mentality. He's a winner, he won a 6A championship here in the state for Homewood and he was the MVP of the state tournament. I think we're definitely getting a steal with Luke."
 
Samford's six highly-touted signees this season will join returning starters Triston Chambers, Christen Cunningham, Demetrius Denzel-Dyson, Alex Thompson and Wyatt Walker on the team's 2017-18 roster. The Bulldogs will also boast the returning talent of Peters, Eric Adams, Josh Sharkey, Gerald Smith and Tanner Tapp, as well as highly-acclaimed transfer Justin Coleman, who will be eligible to compete this season.
 
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2017-18 Samford Basketball Signees
 
Name                               Pos.      Ht.       Wt.      Cl.      Hometown (Previous School)
Brandon Austin*      G         6-5      200     Jr.     Montgomery, Ala. (University of Alabama)
Ruben Guerrero*    C         7-0      240     Sr.     Marbella, Spain (USF)
Stefan Lakic                F          6-7      220     Jr.     Visegrad, Bosnia (Missouri State – West Plains JUCO)
JT Mumber                 F          6-7      205     Fr.     Rome, Ga. (Darlington High School)
Kevion Nolan             G         6-2      170     Fr.     Anniston, Ala. (Sacred Heart Catholic)
Luke Touliatos           F          6-4      180     Fr.     Homewood, Ala. (Homewood High School)
 
*Will redshirt the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules